Liverpool's latest academy graduate, John Flanagan, has predicted an influx of young talent into the first-team ranks thanks to the guidance of Kenny Dalglish.

The 18-year-old produced a flawless first-team debut in the 3-0 win over Manchester City on Monday, when Dalglish was quick to pay tribute to the work of the Liverpool youth academy over the past two years. Dalglish worked at the Liverpool academy on his return to the club in 2009, when the former manager Rafael Benítez, dismayed at the lack of players coming through, orchestrated an overhaul of the coaching structure.

Under the academy director, Frank McParland, and the technical director, José Segura, Liverpool have a pool of promising talent pushing towards the senior squad, including Raheem Sterling, Andre Wisdom, Jésus Fernández (known as Suso), Michael Ngoo and Toni Silva. And Flanagan, who excelled at right-back in the absence of the injured Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly, another home-grown player, and alongside the midfielder Jay Spearing, believes Liverpool's production line has been given added impetus by the appointment of Dalglish as temporary manager.

"Kenny has been a big help to me and the other young players," the defender said. "He's been working at the club for the last two years and he was at the academy so he knows all of the youngsters well. He's always a big help to us, telling us what to do. It helps us just the fact that we already know him well from the academy because it means that he knows us well too.

"It gives all the young players a boost because we all know that Kenny is looking at us and is willing to give us our chance so that gives us confidence. The thing for us is that when we do get a chance we have to take it. There is a great bunch of lads at the academy, we were unlucky in the Youth Cup but we've got great teams in the academy and the reserves."

Flanagan's father, Jonathan, was also on Liverpool's books as a teenager but his failure to make the grade will, the defender says, now serve as an inspiration. He explained: "My dad was here when he was younger but unfortunately he didn't make it. But even that is something that can help me because he's able to speak to me about what worked and what didn't work for him and that means I can learn from his mistakes. He keeps telling me he used to clean Kenny's boots! My dad wants me to go all the way and so do I."